No more Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Europe?

The recently released Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 was reportedly kicking butt in terms of sales, but its runaway success looks set to come to a screeching halt.

The Regional Court of Dusseldorf has granted Apple a preliminary injunction, preventing sale of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 across Europe. Er, other than the Netherlands.

The most surprising thing about it is that Samsung appears to have been completely blindsided. The official response from the South Korean manufacturer reads:

“Samsung is disappointed with the court’s decision and we intend to act immediately to defend our intellectual property rights through the ongoing legal proceedings in Germany and will continue to actively defend these rights throughout the world.

“The request for injunction was filed with no notice to Samsung, and the order was issued without any hearing or presentation of evidence from Samsung. We will take all necessary measures to ensure Samsung’s innovative mobile communications devices are available to customers in Europe and around the world.

“This decision by the court in Germany in no way influences other legal proceedings filed with the courts in Europe and elsewhere.”

It’s thought that it could take four weeks or more for Samsung’s appeal to be heard. Bloomin’ ‘eck.